What I Read in September -- "Required" Reading

The book club I'm in chose to read  "One Glorious Ambition" by Jane Kirkpatrick for September.  I had never before heard of Dorothea Dix ( a reformer from the 19th century), so I initially enjoyed learning about her. Her mission in life -- what she called her one glorious ambition -- was to bring to light the plight of the mentally ill. She never married, never had a real home, and very little family. She spent her years travelling, visiting the prisons that held the mentally ill alongside criminals --  there was no separate place for them.

In each state, she met with the officials and in many cases, convinced them that a facility for "the least of these" was a necessity. She met with many setbacks along the way and also battled severe illness throughout. I admire her vision and her absolute focus on relieving the suffering of so many.

However, about halfway through the book, I started to lose interest. I don't know how much information there was out there about Dorothea as a woman, but her personality in this book really fell flat. She came across very strong when dealing in the area of her work, but extremely needy and annoying in her personal life.  I am glad I read it, and learned a lot about the subject, but felt it could have been shortened considerably.

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I also read a book along with my daughter, for her literature class. The teacher decided to start them out with something easy -- "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio.  I am not sure if I would have picked it up and read it on my own, but it's become one of my favorite books of the year. I think it should be required reading for every middle schooler. It's about a boy named August Pullman,  who was born with a major facial deformity. He is beginning 5th grade and attending school for the first time in his life.

The book is written primarily from his perspective -- his thoughts and feelings about how people react to his differences. There are also chapters from the other characters points of view:  his older, protective sister, her new boyfriend, and a few of his classmates.

I laughed and I cried and I didn't want it to end. It also led to great discussions with my daughter about how we treat others, based on their appearances. I plan to read it with my 5th grade son next. And my younger three boys when they are old enough.

Highly, highly recommend this one!